


Instinct

by Kishirokitsune



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant (Mostly), Earth Politics, F/M, Galaxy Garrison, Galra Courtship, Minor Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Worldwide Leadership Council, post-season 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2020-12-24 02:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21092210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kishirokitsune/pseuds/Kishirokitsune
Summary: In which the paladins are unprepared for the strength of Keith’s instincts and Pidge is taken off guard by her own feelings.||Curtis crossed his arms over his chest. “They're clearly targeting the Galra. At least primarily, but there are others who have been affected.”“Anyone of Galra descent tend to make people uneasy. Its understandable, but not when they're denying entry to known allies. We couldn't have won the war without Kolivan and the rest of the Blade of Marmora, but it seems that all it's taken is a year to forget all of that. Then there's this whole thing with Pidge...”Keith snapped to attention. “What's wrong with Pidge?”Shiro was slightly taken back by Keith's quick interest, but it was a chance to rant about another situation to someone who wasn't already in the loop, so he quickly summed up everything going on with Pidge, watching Keith's expression grow more thunderous by the minute.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a one-shot, but its taken a different turn than I expected and will now be a three-part fic.

There was a small, brown package on her desk.

Her desk, in her family's private quarters, and further locked behind a passcode that few people knew.

Pidge frowned when she saw it, barely able to take her eyes off of it as she shrugged out of her casual jacket and hung it on a hook near her door. She'd only been away for an hour, attending another meeting to address the fact that _technically_ Katie Holt never attended the Galaxy Garrison, never mind her instrumental role in freeing Earth from Sendak's control before going on to stop Haggar from ripping apart _every_ reality.

No, no, none of that _really_ mattered once the war was over and the Garrison was placed under the control of the Worldwide Leadership Council, whose proclaimed goal was “peacekeeping” for all of Earth.

Pidge scowled.

Millions of people displaced from their homes, exposed to the cruelties of a ten-thousand year old war, and they were most worried about their public image.

She hated politics. She especially hated them when it stood in the way of her doing anything useful with her time. So what if she'd hacked Garrison records at fifteen, enrolled herself under a false identity, and launched her own personal investigation in the wake of the disappearance of the crew on the Kerberos Mission? They should be thanking her for exposing such a flaw in their system!

Okay, maybe that was too much, but if she hadn't illegally attended the Galaxy Garrison as Pidge Gunderson, she never would have witnessed Shiro's return with Hunk and Lance. They never would have been there to help Keith escape with him. They never would have found the caves where the Blue Lion was hidden for so long. They never would have gone to space, awoken Allura and Coran, and freed so many different planets. Earth never would have been prepared for the invasion.

Pidge would never try and claim full credit for saving the universe, it was fully a team effort, but she knew she played a pivotal role.

She shook her head gently, clearing herself of negative thoughts. She had a mystery to solve and it was much more deserving of her time than dwelling on the way things were being run in the past few months.

Pidge cautiously approached her desk, searching the package for any clue about who could have left it there. It was wrapped in plain brown paper and on top was a tiny note card bearing her name in vaguely familiar handwriting. She found herself relaxing at that. It was unlikely to be a threat if it was someone she knew well enough to recognize their handwriting.

She was careful not to jostle the package as she picked it up and began peeling away the wrapping. With no indication of who it was from, she let her mind wander to the different possibilities, based on who she'd given her personal code to.

Hunk and Lance were out of the question. The last she'd heard from Hunk, he had made it back out to the Dalterion Belt with his band of chefs (and Shay) and was seeing what food sources the various asteroids and planets in the area had to offer. Lance was busy with the small farm he ran with his family and was always quick to tell her when they were in the area to visit Veronica.

Shiro wouldn't go out of his way to sneak a package into her room when he could just pass it off to anyone in her family or give it to her directly. It just wasn't the way he liked to do things.

Keith was equally as unlikely, though she had to admit, she had no idea where in the universe he was currently located. Once it became clear that Earth was safe, he took up Kolivan's offer to lead a team of his own in peacekeeping efforts. He called when he could and sounded completely wrung-out whenever they talked, but there was a deep-rooted pride in his voice that spoke of how much he was enjoying his work.

It had been a while since she last heard from Coran and Romelle, who were both working hard at establishing order and blending cultures of the past with those of the hidden colony on the newly restored Altea. It was tough work and Coran often despaired at how much of their history was lost. Sometimes he'd send something to Pidge (bypassing all Garrison channels) either for her to research or as a gift, but always with a long note of explanation.

Maybe it was Matt, who knew how much her frustration was starting to get the best of her. He liked to surprise her with little gifts now and again, but like with Coran, he always signed his, if he bothered to wrap them.

Her parents then. Except not, because even they would have signed it or given it to her directly.

Pidge stared down at a metallic green box as she fully pulled away the paper. There was a simple latch on one side and hinges on the other, so she cautiously opened it up, prepared to shut it if there was anything weird or dangerous.

Hair pins.

At least a dozen of them, in an array of colors and styles; some practical and others more ornate, meant to be used as decoration rather than holding hair in place.

Looking over the box and wrapping one last time, Pidge determined that whoever it was from, they were determined to remain a mystery.

She'd just have to wear them in order to show her thanks.

* * *

Everything was a mess.

Shiro groaned as he received another message requesting a meeting to review Pidge's “questionable” standing in the Galaxy Garrison. He'd spoken openly about his feelings on the subject a number of times – just as Admiral Iverson and Commander Holt had done, as well as many others who knew her – and he didn't see why they needed him to repeat himself for a _fifth_ time. They had it all on record! All they had to do was play any of the last four meetings or read the minutes from them.

But if repeating himself would be what allowed Pidge to get back to the work she loved without being scrutinized over her every action, he would do it. Again and again and again.

That didn't mean he couldn't be annoyed by it.

“Don't they have better things to worry about?” he asked bitterly, more to himself than his current house-guests, one of whom was sitting at his kitchen table eating leftovers.

Kosmo woofed quietly from beneath the table.

“Are they still complaining that I didn't go through the proper channels to dock on Earth, or whatever it was?” Keith asked. “Because we already explained why that wasn't possible.”

“Although highly amusing, I'm not sure Zethrid telling the port administrators to shut up and do their jobs correctly is a _proper_ explanation. Why did you leave it up to her anyway?” Curtis asked, sounding amused. He neatly placed a plate on the drying rack and then reached for the next one, running his soapy sponge over the surface.

Keith shrugged. “She needs the practice. And I figured they'd give us some new bullshit excuse about why we can't dock again, which meant my best bet for smoothing things over was going straight to Iverson. He may not be my biggest fan, but at least he takes the time to listen to my requests instead of denying them from the start.”

Curtis's smile dropped and he looked immediately to Shiro, whose frown was firmly in place. “So we were right. They've escalated restrictions on entering and exiting Earth.”

“What am I missing here? Restrictions are common on every planet,” Keith said.

“Which is why we didn't fight them at first,” Shiro agreed. “You haven't been here since the Worldwide Leadership Council took over operations and have been forcing harsher and harsher restrictions to pass. The official word is that they're afraid an influx of new technologies and cultures could lead to the start of a fourth world war, but...”

Curtis crossed his arms over his chest. “They're clearly targeting the Galra. At least primarily, but there are others who have been affected.”

“Anyone of Galra descent tend to make people uneasy. Its understandable, but not when they're denying entry to known allies. We couldn't have won the war without Kolivan and the rest of the Blade of Marmora, but it seems that all it's taken is a year to forget all of that. Then there's this whole thing with Pidge...”

Keith snapped to attention. “What's wrong with Pidge?”

Shiro was slightly taken back by Keith's quick interest, but it was a chance to rant about another situation to someone who wasn't already in the loop, so he quickly summed up everything going on with Pidge, watching Keith's expression grow more thunderous by the minute.

“She's a hero and they're treating her like some kind of criminal,” he growled, fury in his voice. “No one cared about her age or any of that when we were busy fighting in a _literal war_, but now it's over and they think they can cast her aside? How can they do that to her, Shiro?” His anger broke, giving way to something Shiro rarely heard from Keith, except when he was concerned about someone he cared deeply for.

“We've been trying to work it out for months, offering any idea that could appease them and let Pidge join Commander Holt and Matt on the Defense Program, but we've made no progress,” Shiro said. “All that's done is had them restrict her time in the classroom labs even more.”

“We think they're trying to force her out. They want to cover up that they were bested by someone who was fifteen when she hacked the system.” Curtis voiced the (until then) unspoken opinion shared by everyone involved.

Keith was quiet for a moment. He reached under the table to pet Kosmo as the massive wolf nudged his leg for attention.

Shiro and Curtis gave him time to mull it over. It was a lot to take in on a normal amount of sleep, and it was clear from the bags under his eyes that Keith clearly wasn't getting enough rest.

It seemed not even Kolivan could train out the way Keith tended to broadcast his emotions, easy to read for anyone who cared enough to pay attention. Shiro could see the emotions playing out across his face – the anger on behalf of the youngest paladin, frustration, the furrowed brows of wonderment, and then stubborn determination.

Keith had some sort of plan formulating and Shiro couldn't wait to hear it.

Shiro gestured for Curtis to sit down with them at the table. (_Why_ he felt the need to clean them every time he came over, Shiro did not understand. The plates were fine. Shiro could do them after he left, but _no_, Curtis insisted--)

“How quickly do you think they'd give in if I refuse to leave until she looks over the ship we arrived in?” Keith asked them.

“It's unlikely they would at all. They'd insist that you use one of the Garrison engineers and if you refuse that's grounds for imprisonment, no matter who you are. But... we could try?” Curtis sounded unsure of himself and Shiro couldn't help but reach over and squeeze his hand.

Keith raised an eyebrow at the action, but said nothing. Shiro was sure he'd be questioned later, once Curtis was gone for the night.

Curtis continued, slightly emboldened by the comforting gesture. “It's no secret that they don't like that you bypassed protocol and landed here, but they may be more willing to go with what you want if you extend your stay by other means. Like, say, a vacation?”

Shiro quickly caught on. “Not as a pretense, Keith. Contact Kolivan and tell him you're all finally taking some time off.”

“Going to tell me I look like shit next?” Keith asked.

“Not in those exact words, no.”

Violet eyes stared him down from across the table and then Keith tipped his head in acknowledgment. “I know the others would appreciate a vacation, even if they'll complain at first. I have eight others with me and they'll all need someone to show them around.”

“We have volunteers for just that,” Curtis said. “And I think I already know who can show Acxa around. She and Veronica got along well when we were all on the Atlas together. I don't know about anyone else though.”

Shiro was absolutely not volunteering to watch after Zethrid or Ezor.

“So, we take a vacation and on the last day make the request for Pidge to look over the ship?” Keith guessed.

Shiro nodded. “It might help if there are any repairs that need to be made.”

“Oh, like our communications system? Since _somehow_ the Garrison couldn't hear us until we were already coming in for a landing, despite the fact that Kolivan, who is _lightyears_ away, can hear me perfectly?”

“Best not mention that last part,” Curtis advised. “But yeah. It's even better, since Pidge enrolled herself in the communications program when she was here. Regardless of how she ended up in the Garrison, they can't deny that she studied the exact thing you need fixed, _and_ she was good at it.”

Maybe it would work.

Shiro didn't have many positive things to say about the direction things were heading with the stranglehold the Worldwide Leadership Council had on the Galaxy Garrison, but it was more of a chance for Pidge to do something than they'd had in a while.

They just needed to be careful.

* * *

Even when it was just the four of them, dinner was not a quiet affair for the Holt family. There was always someone talking about the work they'd done that day or a new discovery that was made or even just something funny that they'd seen or heard.

Colleen wrapped up her enthusiastic description of a new variant of Juniberry she helped cultivate and while Sam launched into a round of questions, Matt leaned over to Pidge with a grin on his face.

“You know, Keith arrived today.”

Pidge looked up from her food, already more interesting in what her brother had to say than the ongoing conversation about plants. “Really? Is everything okay?”

“According to Shiro, he's here for a vacation with his team, _and_ the first person he asked about is you,” Matt said, his grin growing wider.

Pidge knew that tone. It was the same one she and Hunk used when teasing Lance about his crush on Allura. She rolled her eyes, not for one second falling for his attempt to get her flustered. “Other than Shiro, I'm the only other person he knows is on base. It doesn't mean anything.”

“What doesn't mean anything?” Colleen asked.

“Nothing,” Pidge and Matt said in unison.

Colleen narrowed her eyes as she watched them pretend there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. After a moment, she went back to her conversation with Sam, though neither Pidge nor Matt dared to bring up the topic a second time, knowing their mom would hone in on it in a heartbeat.

Pidge was thankful that Matt knew better than to involve their parents in his teasing. Their mom would definitely take it seriously, and while their dad would accept it as a joke at first, the more Colleen treated it like a genuine thing, the less he would see it as the teasing that it was.

The last thing she wanted was for them to insist on _supervision_ while she was around Keith. How embarrassing would that be?

“So how's the Defenders Project going, Matt?” Pidge asked, changing the subject completely.

“You know we're not allowed to talk about it outside of the labs,” Matt said apologetically. “But without going into too much detail, it's going a little more slowly than we'd like. There are some new restrictions being passed on what goods can be brought to Earth and by who, and until they work out all of the details, we can't get in the equipment and materials we need in order to continue.”

“_Seriously?_ What are they thinking?”

Sam set down his fork, turning his attention to their conversation. “In a way, it does work to our benefit. We have more time than expected to run checks and extra tests to ensure everything will work the way it's meant to.”

“Except that all we can do is run simulations, which can't account for the differences that Altean tech makes when combined with our own,” Matt pointed out, sounding bitter.

Colleen cleared her throat. “I think that's enough work chatter for tonight.”

Pidge and Matt exchanged a glance, silently communicating: “What else is there?”

“Well then, how about a little good news?” Sam asked. “We have officially been granted permission to host a festival celebrating the liberation of the galaxy from Galra control.”

“Wait, really? Dad, that's awesome!” Matt cheered.

Sam nodded. “I need you all to keep this a secret for now. They won't be making the announcement for another few days, since they're finalizing the location and central theme, so no talking about it to anyone else.”

His family was quick to agree to that and the rest of their dinner was spent trying to guess what a Garrison-run festival would be like.

* * *

Pidge woke up in high spirits the next morning and, after breakfast, slipped into her comfiest clothing with the intent of finally sitting down to binge the new show Rizavi hadn't shut up about for weeks. With the longer pieces of her hair pinned out of the way with two bright green clips, she flopped down on her bed and reached for her remote.

“Katie, you have a visitor!”

She tried not to groan as her mom's voice rang out, loud and clear. She swore if Rizavi was at the door, waiting to drag her and Kinkade off on another crazy adventure that was sure to land the three of them in Iverson's office, she was going to run away and join Lance on his farm, just to have a moment of peace.

Okay, maybe that was a little extreme.

Pidge would hate living on a farm.

She bid goodbye to her relaxing day in as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her small purse, knowing it was best to be prepared when it came to Rizavi. The other girl wouldn't give her a chance to speak, let alone grab her things. (Honestly, she loved that Rizavi included her in outings, she just wished the pilot knew how to slow down sometimes – a sentiment shared by Kinkade.)

Pidge took a deep breath and opened her bedroom door. “Ri-- _Keith_?!”

Standing near the front door was Keith, his black hair tied back in a short ponytail, looking mildly uncomfortable in what she assumed was clothing borrowed from Shiro. (The cuffs on his pants were rolled up, for one, and the t-shirt with Godzilla on it had been a gift from Matt.)

Keith smiled softly when he saw her. “Hey, it's been a while.”

Pidge found herself smiling back. “Too long. Welcome back!”

“Did I come at a bad time?” Keith asked, gesturing to her bag.

Pidge glanced down to see what he was talking about. “Oh, no! No, you're fine. I kind of thought you were Rizavi. She likes to drop by unannounced when she has free time and I've learned its better to be prepared before I open the door. Do you want to sit down?”

Keith shook his head. “Actually, I was hoping you would go out to the city with me. Shiro was going to take me so I could pick up a few things, but they called him and Curtis in for some meeting this morning. He suggested I ask you.”

That was not a request Pidge expected to hear from him, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go shopping with Keith.

“I'll go, just let me grab Matt's keys,” Pidge said, turning away to grab her brother's passkey from its spot on the counter. She knew he would be down in the lab all day and wouldn't mind her borrowing it. “Mom, I'm going out with Keith!”

“Have fun, dear!” Colleen called back from elsewhere in the apartment.

Keith looked at her curiously as they left, moving out into the hallway and towards the exit. “Why do you need Matt's keys?”

“It'll get us into the garage so we don't need to take the shuttle or ask anyone else to drive us,” Pidge explained as she slid the card into her purse. “_Technically_ I'm not supposed to have one, but the guards don't care as long as I'm careful and get back on time.”

“And here I thought I was the rebel of our team.”

Recognizing it for the joke that it was, Pidge teased back: “worried that I might steal your crown?”

Keith glanced down at her. “Depends. Do the guards really let you leave with a car or does it involve more sneaking?”

“Sneaking at first, but now they know me by name,” Pidge admitted. When he smirked at her, she rolled her eyes. “Well, alright then, King of the Rebels, what's the best story you've got?”

Keith took a moment to think about it, studiously ignoring the stares they received as they walked the halls.

Pidge figured they must have made an interesting sight. Her, the daughter of Sam and Colleen Holt, walking around in starry leggings and a too-big shirt that fit more like a short dress. And then him, almost a stranger to the Garrison after his time away, dressed in clothing equally as ill-fitting.

“I stole Shiro's car once.”

Pidge nearly stopped dead in her tracks. “You didn't!”

“I did,” Keith said with a nod. “He came to my school to talk about the space program and he brought this portable simulator so my class could try it out. I... I was difficult then, is the easy way to put it. Didn't get along with anyone. Didn't want to.”

Pidge had a sarcastic comment ready, but there was something about his tone of voice that had her hold her tongue.

“Anyway, all it took was one stupid comment and I needed to get out of there. Saw Shiro talking to my teacher and figured it was a lost cause anyway – the Garrison wouldn't want some troublemaker like me even if I did give it a chance. So I stole Shiro's car.” Keith shrugged as though it were no big deal. “I got caught, of course, and would have spent the night at a juvenile detention center if it weren't for Shiro speaking up for me. Even after all of that, he said I should apply to the Garrison. And the rest is history.”

Pidge let silence settle between them. She knew that he and Shiro were close, but it was the first time she heard the story of how they met.

“I, uh,” she paused for a moment to recall what they were talking about before. “I ran away from home and joined the Garrison under a false name. How's that for rebellion?”

Keith chuckled. “Not bad, but I punched Iverson and then ran away to live in a house in the desert before he could give me an actual punishment.”

“Wait, wait. Let me get this straight; you stole Shiro's car _and_ you also punched Iverson? And Lance says_ I_ have no people skills!” She threw up her hands in defeat.

“So does this mean I'm still the king?”

“For now,” Pidge responded and for a moment had to wonder just what kind of challenge she'd accidentally initiated. But then they shared a glance and broke out into laughter over the whole thing.

They spent the rest of their walk just catching up on what they had been doing for the past few months. Keith spoke of the planets he'd seen and the people he helped, all the while keeping Zethrid and Ezor from terrorizing everyone with their playful antics. Pidge deliberately avoided her issues with the WLC, instead focusing on her personal projects and stories of Bae Bae running rampant through the base.

“Luckily, Iverson thinks she's hilarious and the MFE crew basically adopted her as their mascot, so she's living the best doggy life,” Pidge said as they reached a door to the garage. She took out the keycard and pressed it to the scanner so they could enter.

After a quick glance around to confirm there was no one around who would cause problems for them, Pidge held out the keycard to Keith. “It's your pick.”

Looking confused, Keith took the card. “My pick?”

“I know it's been a while since you last drove here on Earth, and I thought you might like to while you're here,” Pidge said with a shrug. “I normally drive one of the standard sedans, but the choice is all yours today.”

Keith took a moment to look around. There were all of the standard off-road vehicles favored by the Galaxy Garrison, built to handle the harsher terrain of the desert, but there were a surprising number of smaller cars mixed in, likely due to the expanded staff in the wake of the invasion.

Somehow, Pidge wasn't at all surprised when Keith gravitated towards the newest model of their Hoverbikes – one capable of switching between street and off-road modes. While it wasn't red like the one he drove while rescuing Shiro, it did have bright splashes of orange pain set against Garrison gray.

He climbed on first, checking over the controls and getting a feel for the bike, but soon he held out his hand to help Pidge up. While she got settled, he dug through a latched compartment until he found two pairs of goggles and handed one back to Pidge.

“Ready when you are,” Pidge said, carefully sliding them on over her glasses.

Keith took her words to heart and started the bike, which came to life with a humming purr and lifted up off the ground. He carefully guided it through the garage, hyper-aware of Pidge's light grip on his waist.

Pidge waved to the guards when they stopped at the main gate to scan the keycard one last time. “We'll be back by curfew!”

She squealed as Keith sped up on the other side of the gate, sliding her arms fully around his waist so she felt less like she would fly away at any second. Her hair whipped around her face, stinging slightly, and she pressed closer against Keith's back, using him to block the worst of the wind. Her heart pounded in her chest at first, but calmed down by the time they reached Plaht City.

Keith pulled into the first parking lot they found and miraculously found an empty space to pull into. Once he turned off the bike, he helped Pidge slide down and she laughed a little breathlessly, a massive grin on her face. He watched her pull free the hair pins and try to smooth out her hair, realizing after a few seconds that he was staring, and then joined her on the ground. He pointedly looked away, taking in the changes that they city had gone through.

The rebuilding seemed to have gone well, though there were still a few skyscrapers under heavy construction deeper in the city limits. What really caught his attention were the colorful tents lining the streets, full of goods from all over the universe, and arranged in a way that they didn't block any of the brick and mortar shops who had also thrown up bright banners to entice people inside. All of it did restrict the flow of traffic, however, leaving just enough street space for bicycles and a new trolley system to travel both ways. (Keith supposed that if an emergency vehicle needed to get through, there was enough space as well.)

It was an entirely different Plaht City.

“So, where to first? Or do you just want to walk and pick places as we go?” Pidge asked.

“I just need clothes,” Keith said, warily keeping his eyes on the crowded streets. He swallowed, wondering if he was really up for being surrounded by that many strangers, even with Pidge there to watch his back. There were too many unknown variables for him to be comfortable with.

Pidge seemed to pick up on his worry, because she nodded and said “I know a few good places, so it shouldn't take us long to find what you want. We'll just go until you're satisfied with what you've found.”

The two set off down the street, Keith following Pidge and hoping that she was right. After being in space for so long, he felt grossly unprepared for dealing with large crowds – even with his current peacekeeping tasks. At least with that there were only a few locals he needed to talk to, usually the leaders and those they brought with them to help transport supplies.

Keith kept an eye out for any threats and ways to make a quick escape if it came down to it. He didn't realize he was doing it until Pidge softly called his name.

“We don't have to do this today, you know,” she offered. “You just got back. We could ride around the desert or something.”

It was a tempting offer.

Keith shook his head. “Maybe once we're done, but I don't want to keep borrowing Shiro's stuff.”

“Not a fan of Godzilla? More of a Mothra kind of guy?” Pidge asked teasingly.

Keith couldn't help but chuckle at the silly direction their conversation turned. It did wonders to help him relax and he wondered if Pidge was doing it on purpose. “I think giant monsters are more Shiro's thing. I'm more into cryptids. Local legends. That sort of thing.”

“So not Mothra, but Mothman. Got it.” Pidge grinned up at him, pleased by her own joke.

Keith wasn't going to let her have all of the fun. “Let me guess, you're a Bigfoot fan?”

“They _are_ the classic cryptid, with variations all across the globe, and you can't go wrong with that. Besides, I can appreciate that they've made a game out of teasing Bigfoot hunters over the years,” Pidge said.

(How was that a real conversation they were having? It was surreal.)

“Well, now that I know you've secretly been a nerd this whole time, I _have_ to show you this place Matt and I found. You'll love it!” Pidge excitedly reached for her hand, tugging him along as she began walking faster.

Keith increased his stride in order to keep up with her.

It didn't take long to reach their destination, which was a small clothing shop tucked away in a corner next to a salon and a pizza place. Pidge pulled him inside and cut straight to the back of the store, where Keith quickly discovered the reason for her excitement.

Specialty shirts, separated by their subject matter. Cryptids were all lumped together and sorted by alphabetical order, with a miscellaneous category for any that were more rare. Across the back wall was an even larger section labeled 'Area 51'.

Keith didn't know where to start.

Pidge let go of his hand and laughed gleefully as she dove into the nearest rack. “This is where Matt and I did our holiday shopping. Ooo, look!” She held up a shirt with a picture of a purposefully pixelated image of the Loch Ness Monster.

He snorted in amusement and Pidge went back to her search. While it wasn't a place he normally would have picked to do shopping at, he figured he could at least get a shirt for Pidge, as a thank you for joining him. It was with that goal in mind that he joined the searching, holding u anything interesting for Pidge's approval or disapproval, and laughing at some of the more bizarre (and sometimes inappropriate) ones they found.

They each bought a shirt before leaving, and it was with high spirits that they set off to accomplish the rest of their mission.

Pidge was an interesting travel companion. She could talk about nearly anything and didn't always expect for him to have a reply, but it wasn't idle chatter. She knew a lot about how the city rebuild was going and which parts had been left mostly untouched, versus what had to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. More importantly, she did know the shops of the area.

By the time lunch rolled around, he had a decent set of clothes that would last him through his week vacation. After the last one, they grabbed a meal from the food trucks in the area and ate as they walked back to the hoverbike.

“Pidge, thanks for coming with me,” Keith said sincerely. “I'm sure you had other things you wanted to do today and I really appreciate it.”

She slowed down a little, staring up at him with a furrowed brow. “I can do those things anytime, you know? But you're only here for a little while and I'd give up a full week of work to spend time with you.”

Keith felt his cheeks heated up and he looked away from her, hoping she didn't notice. He struggled to find they right response without letting his own feelings spill out. “You, uh, might regret saying that when I tell you I'll be here for at least a week.”

“You are?” Pidge asked in surprise. “That's awesome! And okay, I _slightly_ take back what I said before, because I know you'll want to spend time with Shiro too, but I really did mean it. I... I've missed having you around. More than I thought, actually...” She trailed off, lost in her own thoughts and clearly not expecting an answer.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, tossing their trash into the proper bins once they were done,and then there was no more talk as they drove the thirty minutes back to the Garrison.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! The holidays left me feeling drained, and then I was busy focusing solely on my entry for Kidgezine 2.0, but now I have a little more time to get back to work on this!

It was good to have Keith home.

Shiro hadn’t realized how lonely it was without him nearby until he was back, filling the void left in his life. He suddenly had a reason to look forward to returning to his apartment in the evenings, and waking up in the morning no longer meant hitting the snooze button until he absolutely had to get up. His little brother was _home_ and he was going to enjoy every second until he had to leave again.

It wasn’t that he didn’t find enjoyment when Keith wasn’t there - those moments when he and Curtis spent time together were always wonderful and he looked forward to many more of them - but Keith being home made things feel normal. Better, in some ways.

Shiro woke up before his alarm to the smell of coffee in the air. He slid out of bed and gave himself a once-over in the wall mirror before deeming himself presentable enough. 

“Morning,” Keith greeted as Shiro walked into the kitchen.

“You drink coffee now?” Shiro asked, already heading for the pot.

Keith shook his head and held up his mug. “Nah, this is chocolate milk. The coffee’s all for you.”

Shiro wasn’t even aware he _had_ chocolate milk, but he shrugged that off in favor of pouring himself a large cup of coffee, adding an unhealthy amount of sugar and a little cream. “Any plans for the day?”

“Figure I’ll check in with my team later and make sure everyone is comfortable with their rooming situations. I sent Kosmo to Acxa with a note, so I should hear back from her soon about who wants a tour guide,” Keith said.

“Veronica will appreciate that. I asked her to put together a list of people who would be willing to do it. Curtis was right when he said she’d be happy to see Acxa again.” Shiro sat down at the table with his cup and took a sip, but it was too hot, so he set it aside to cool a little. “I have a presentation to give to one of the classes this morning, but I’ll be free after lunch if you want to do anything.”

“Day in or…?”

“Whichever you’d like. We could go driving, just like the old days,” Shiro suggested. 

Keith’s expression was soft as he took that into consideration. “I’d like that.”

There was a quiet ‘poof’ as Kosmo suddenly appeared with a letter tucked into the collar around his neck. Keith reached over to give him a pat and then removed the paper, looking it over before passing it to Shiro.

“Looks like everyone’s interested in a tour guide. Give Veronica my contact info and tell her if she needs more details, she can call me,” Keith said. He glanced at the clock on the wall and quickly drained his milk before standing up.

Shiro watched him wash it out and set it in the rack to dry. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“I told Pidge I’d go running with her this morning. I’ve got to get going if I want to meet her in time.”

“Pidge? Running?” Shiro asked in disbelief. He couldn’t have heard that right. Sure, she went to the gym once or twice a month, but it was always later in the day.

That wasn’t the only weird thing. 

“Keith, what’s with the Batman shirt?”

Keith turned around, looking confused. “It’s not. This is mothman. Pidge got it for me when we went out yesterday.”

Once Shiro took a better look, he could see the differences. While the typical Batman logo was yellow with a black bat symbol, the one on Keith’s shirt was bright red, and instead of a bat, the silhouette was of a moth. “Ah, I see now.”

He really didn’t. What was mothman and why did Pidge get Keith a shirt of it?

“Have fun running with Pidge.”

Keith beamed, clearly not hearing the confusion in Shiro’s voice. He headed out soon after, clearly excited to meet up with her. Kosmo trotted at his heels, leaving behind Shiro to puzzle over what was happening by himself.

He felt like he was missing something important.

* * *

Healthy body, healthy mind.

That was what Pidge tried to keep in mind as she and Keith made another lap around the outdoor tract. She could feel her calves burning from exertion, but kept pushing on, determined to keep up with him. She thought she was still in good shape, even with her infrequent trips to the gym, but clearly she was mistaken. 

She glanced at Keith, who’d barely broken a sweat. She was pleasantly surprised to see him wearing the shirt she bought for him and wished that she’d worn hers as well.

They exchanged them on their arrival back at the Garrison after their shopping trip. Keith had laughed in delight when she presented him with mothman, right before digging through one of his bags to hand over the one he picked for her.

The shirt itself was a super soft material and dark green in color. Printed on the front were the words “Hide ‘n Seek Champion of All Time” in silver font. At first she wasn’t sure if there was anything more to it, but then she saw it. Under the right lighting, there was a subtle difference in color to reveal the Loch Ness Monster.

Pidge loved it.

“Getting tired?”

“Never,” Pidge gaped out, hating how hard it was just to speak. She really needed to take up running in her spare time.

Keith huffed out a short laugh and slowed his pace. “Why don’t we take a break? I don’t want you to get hurt because you’re trying to keep up with me.”

“I’m not-!”

“You are,” Keith interrupted easily. “Pushing yourself is good, but not when it means you’ll be in too much pain to walk by this evening. Trust me, it’s not fun.”

Pidge begrudgingly admitted he had a point. She could already feel the ache settling in her legs and remembered the way she felt after the intense training Allura put them through in the early days. She had no desire to go through that again.

She slowed to a brisk walk and Keith matched her pace so they could cool down from their run. She focused on her breathing until she could speak without gasping for air. (She resolved to add more gym days to her schedule.)

“Any plans for today?” Keith asked.

“A few,” Pidge responded, thinking back to her meticulous, color-coded board of notes. There were so many projects she was eager to get started on, and some that she really needed to get back to work on, but Keith probably didn’t want to hear about those.

“I’m expecting a video call from Coran today, so I’m going to work on a few things while I wait for him. He sounded excited in the message he left for me last night, which either means he has some new discovery to share with me, or he needs me to do something for him. What about you? Anything fun planned?” she asked.

Keith smiled. “Yeah, Shiro invited me to go driving after lunch. I’ve been dying to try out a few maneuvers that my mom showed me. Maybe this time I’ll be able to win our race.”

“Just a ‘drive’, huh?” Pidge nudged him playfully.

“There’s driving involved!”

Pidge laughed at the indignation in his voice. “Good luck with your race. I get the feeling you need it.”

Keith was awful at faking any emotion, which made it all the more fun for Pidge as he tried to act mad. His lips twitched up into a smile and he looked away from her to hide it. “You’re probably right. I bet he has a new trick or two he’s been waiting to use on me, and that’s why he suggested a drive.” He shook his head fondly. “Do you remember when this all started? When you three interrupted my rescue of Shiro and we were lucky to escape?”

“How could I forget? I think that was the most scared I’d ever been up until that point,” Pidge said.

“Shiro taught me how to make that jump.”

It shouldn’t have shocked Pidge as much as it did. Shiro always tried to present himself as the mature, responsible one, but after all of their time in space and seeing firsthand his sense of humor, it was clear that he was just as childish as the rest of them. Really, if she thought about it, driving a hoverbike off of a sheer cliff for the fun of it was purely a Shiro move.

“You two need supervision,” Pidge said.

“Probably. You volunteering?” Keith asked.

Pidge shook her head. “No thanks. I think I’ll leave that up to Curtis, though I doubt he wants the job either.” She paused to rethink her statement. “Or else he’ll cheer you on.”

Keith laughed as they reached the lower loop of the track and headed back into the main building. Several cadets stopped to watch them, whispering and pointing, but Keith and Pidge ignored them.

“So you said something about a call from Coran? How is he doing?” Keith asked.

“He’s staying busy organizing everything on New Altea. Romelle and Tavo are helping him, or doing their best to help him. I get updates at least once a month from Romelle, so I know he’s eating and getting the bare minimum amount of sleep. Or the bare minimum as far as any of us know.”

Keith moved out of the way of a group of cadets, brushing in close against Pidge’s side and stepping away the moment they were clear. “I’m glad they’re watching out for him. I’ve been meaning to visit, but we never have time to stop whenever we’re nearby.”

“He’s like that. I would go, but… it’s just not that easy without the Green Lion,” Pidge said.

She missed her Lion. The freedom that came with her ship was something irreplaceable, and the bond it represented between her and the other paladins was a hard loss. Sometimes, if she focused hard enough, she could almost hear the purr of the cockpit.

“So, I hear from Lance and Hunk on a near weekly basis too,” she said, swiftly changing the subject. “Hunk likes to start up conference calls and won’t take no for an answer. And _you_ I get updates on through Shiro. You know you’re allowed to call just to chat, right? Because anytime I hear you and Shiro on call, it sounds like you’re giving a mission report.”

Keith at least looked embarrassed. “I guess I’m so used to giving Kolivan updates that it bleeds over. Shiro keeps teasing me about it too.”

That wasn’t entirely her point, but at least Keith knew the way he sounded over video call. Pidge took a moment to consider emphasizing her original point, which was that he was the only member of the original team who she didn’t talk to regularly, but in the end decided against it. If Keith wanted to talk to her, he would.

She changed the subject instead, asking him about some of the more interesting planets he’d been to. Before she knew it, she was at the door to her family’s quarters.

“You still have a while before you meet up with Shiro, right? Do you want to come in and see what I’ve been working on?” Pidge asked.

“Sure,” Keith agreed with a shrug.

Pidge typed in the code and led the way inside, keeping an eye out for anyone else. It looked like they were all out, likely hard at work. She took off her shoes and placed them near the door before walking over to her room, which required a code of its own.

(And maybe that was overkill, but part of her felt the paranoia was justified, given everything happening with the WLC. She wasn’t going to risk anyone that she didn’t trust learning about her personal projects until she was good and ready to show them off.)

“If you ever need a place to relax while you’re here, the number is five-one-four-two,” she told him.

Keith looked at her in surprise. “You’re trusting me with that?”

“You’re my friend. And after everything we’ve been through together, of course I trust you,” Pidge said. The lock clicked and she pushed open her bedroom door, remembering a little too late the mess that was slowly accumulating. At least her dirty laundry was properly in the basket, waiting to be washed.

Keith looked around curiously and then smiled softly, reaching for a pile of junk in the corner nearest the door. When he pulled his hand back, he had one of the green nebuloids. The fuzzy creature vibrated happily at the attention.

“What are you working on that you wanted to show me?” he asked.

“It’s an upgraded version of the program my dad uses to keep track of project progress. The one their using now is useful for keeping track of who needs to do what and what parts are finished, but I think it could be better. I _know_ it can be better. What I want to do is make it so he can input what supplies they already have and it will calculate what can be worked on based on that and what parts are already done,” Pidge explained.

Listening to her dad and Matt complain about their current work predicament was her inspiration. She doubted she would be able to finish it in time to be useful for their current project, but hopefully it would be ready for the future.

“That sounds really useful. I think Kolivan has something similar to keep track of members of the Blade of Marmora, but it’s not quite as in depth as that,” Keith said. “If you hit any roadblocks, he might be able to help. Or he could direct you to someone who could.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Pidge moved to her desk to pick up her tablet so she could show off what she had so far, and that was when she saw it.

Another package wrapped in brown paper, bearing her name in green ink. It was larger than the last one, roughly the length and width of a shoebox, but not as deep.

“How did that get there?” she muttered, staring at it with a frown.

Keith moved a little closer. “Is something wrong?”

“This is the second time I’ve come home to find one of these, and I don’t understand where they’re coming from! Only a few people know how to get in, and half of them are off planet. I swear, if this turns out to be Matt’s idea of a joke, he’s going to be in _so much_ trouble,” Pidge ranted.

Once again, she found herself struggling to put the pieces together, and once again she had no answers that made sense.

“You… don’t know who it’s from?”

“No,” Pidge said bluntly. “There’s no note. No indication of where it came from. There’s just my name, and I swear I’ve seen that handwriting before, but I don’t remember where.” She slumped her shoulders and glanced at Keith to find him staring with a worried expression.

She cleared her throat, feeling the need to put him at ease. “It’s just weird, is all. Clearly it’s someone who I know and trust well enough that they can get in here, but the mystery of it is really bothering me. I can’t think of a good reason why someone wouldn’t give it to me directly. Why go through the hassle of waiting until I’m not here?”

Pidge picked up the package and was surprised by the weight of it.

“Are you going to open it?” Keith asked. He walked over to stand right next to Pidge, slowly petting the back of the nebuloid, which continued to vibrate.

“Someone’s curious,” Pidge lightly teased, though she didn’t blame him. She was curious as well.

She picked at the tape on one end, before making up her mind and tearing the paper away to reveal a sturdy metal box with beveled edges around the top. There was a simple clasp on the front and she squeezed either side of it to release the lock and lift the lid.

Inside were crystals of various colors, cuts, and sizes, all small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, and carefully nestled in individual compartments. Pidge took one of them out and found a note beneath it. In the same green ink was the designation of a Balmera.

“Balmera crystals,” she breathed. “But who? _Why?_”

It was too much. The hair pins were one thing, but crystals from different Balmera across the universe? The effort it must have taken to do such a thing, only for it to be quietly left on her desk for her to find, left a heavy feeling in her chest. 

She needed to know who it was.

Pidge turned to Keith. “Do you think I should put up security cameras around my room?”

Keith took a moment to consider her questions while he looked around the room with a critical eye. “The door is the only way in or out, so I think that’s all you need to focus on. Or you could change the code to get in and see how it goes after that.”

“That does make sense,” Pidge agreed, mentally scaling back the number of cameras she could place. “Okay, one camera to watch the door, connected to my personal network. That shouldn’t take too long to put together, as long as I can get the parts for it. Want to help? Or, no, quiznak. You’re hanging out with Shiro today.”

“I am, but I could come by tomorrow and take a look,” Keith volunteered. He stroked the nebuloid one last time and then walked across the room to deposit it back in the corner, where one of the pink ones crawled out to see what was happening. “Or we could go out and put it to the test.”

“Lunch?” Pidge suggested. She knew of a cozy bistro that Keith was bound to enjoy, simply because it never saw a heavy crowd despite the delicious food. It even had Hunk’s approval.

Keith nodded. “I’ll meet you here and we can walk together.”

* * *

The next day passed without incident.

It took Pidge a few more hours that morning to cobble together a working security camera to keep watch over her door, and then she put it to the test by going out for a light lunch with Keith. She returned to find nothing on her desk.

A review of the footage showed that the camera was in perfect working order, and after a few minor tweaks, she spent the rest of the day polishing up something she’d been working on for Coran.

During his video call the night before, he revealed that he was ahead of schedule on some big secret project. He would arrive on Earth in the next few days to pick up the prototype camouflage device that he asked her to design. It was based on the cloaking she used with the Green Lion (which in turn, had been based off of particle shield technology), but used far less power as it was only meant for blending in rather than being rendered nearly invisible.

She spent a few hours running small-scale tests and it was only when her speakers chimed to indicate a call coming in that she took a break.

“Pidge!” Hunk shouted the moment she answered his call. He was beaming at her through the camera. “Oh man, you’re not going to believe this, but I got a call from Iverson yesterday - or I think it was yesterday. Time kind of gets away from me out here… Anyway, he asked if we wanted to run a food stall at some festival the Garrison is running? So we’re coming in tomorrow so we can talk about the details!”

It took Pidge a minute to remember that she already knew about the festival; her dad told them about it a few nights ago over dinner. “Hunk, that’s great!”

“We’re planning on stopping near Lance’s place to pick him up and put in an order for extra food supplies, so once we get there, it’ll basically be a Team Voltron reunion! Y’know, just missing Keith and Coran.”

“Actually, Keith got in a few days ago,” she told him. “And Coran says he’s going to come by sometime this week.”

Hunk looked absolutely delighted. “This is officially the best week ever! Okay, so we’ll see you all tomorrow, depending on what time we get in. I’ve gotta go clear a few things with the others before we reach Earth. Could you tell Shiro and Keith for me?”

Pidge nodded. “We have our monthly dinner at Shiro’s tonight, so I can tell everyone then.”

Hunk looked away as someone shouted to him, and it quickly became clear that he was needed elsewhere, so Pidge let him go with a quick goodbye and made sure her phone was set to vibrate if he sent anymore messages. It was high time she left her room to assist her mom with dessert, as was tradition.

Once a month, the Holt family and Shiro would take turns hosting dinner. The host would make the main course, while the guests would prepare a dessert to bring over. They tried to make it more fair for Shiro, but he insisted he didn’t mind, and so they swapped places every month.

There wasn’t much for her to help with when she peeked out of her room, and Colleen quickly shooed her off to redress in something nicer than a pair of sweatpants and an old shirt. Pidge figured she had a good point and swapped them out for jeans and the shirt Keith bought for her, adding in one of the decorative flower hair pins to spice things up a little more.

Less than an hour later, they were all seated at Shiro’s dining table, relaxing and talking about their days. Pidge found herself between Matt and Keith, listening to Shiro talk.

A few minutes into Shiro’s story about sitting in on a simulation run for the newest batch of cadets, Keith leaned over to whisper to Pidge.

“You’re wearing the shirt I got you.”

“I think it’s the most comfortable thing I’ve worn since I lost my old sweater after… well, everything,” Pidge said honestly. Her lounge clothes were comfortable as well, but the shirt was warm and soft in a different way.

“We lost a lot then,” Keith acknowledged.

Pidge tuned back into Shiro’s story and steadily ate her food. She hardly looked at her plate, only glancing down when she needed to spear a new piece of chicken or scoop up some of her dad’s favorite peas.

She didn’t notice the way she went through most of her meal without running out of her favorites.

Shiro noticed.

And just as he felt befuddled by the news that Pidge was willingly going for a run with Keith, his confusion rose even higher with every exchange between them that he witnessed. 

The way they leaned toward each other whenever they spoke.

The ease with which they cleared the table together at the end of the night.

The way Keith subtly added food to Pidge’s plate throughout the night, seemingly without anyone else noticing what he was doing so.

Shiro had a theory, but he would need to observe them for a little while longer, just in case.

* * *

Keith was settling into bed when his phone beeped, indicating an incoming call. He picked it up and when he saw that it was Pidge, quickly answered.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

“I found another one. It was sitting on my desk when I got back.”

It took Keith a moment to catch on to what she was saying. “Another gift? What is it this time?”

Pidge made a frustrated sound. “It’s… I don’t know. Like a snowglobe? But instead of a winter scene it’s a tiny galaxy contained in a sphere?”

Keith sat back against the headboard. “That sounds like a cosmolabe. They’re used more for decoration than navigation now, but Kolivan keeps a few on hand any time we travel someplace that interferes with advanced technology.”

He could hear her thinking through her silence and gave her a moment.

“Interesting… Would you show me how it works? I could probably figure it out on my own, but if you already know how to use them, then that would be easier. I want you to come over anyway and help me look over my plan for new surveillance cameras. Watching the door wasn’t enough or else they found some way to hack in and delete footage from when they were here,” Pidge said.

Keith frowned. “I thought you said it was secure.”

“It _should_ be. I’m going to look everything over tonight. You can come by tomorrow, can’t you? Sorry, I know I just assumed earlier, and if you can’t, that’s okay.”

“I’ll be there,” Keith promised.

  
  



	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the final chapter.  
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has left a comment or a kudos on this fic. You guys are, as always, super awesome and I thank you for your patience after my unintentionally long hiatus over half of winter. I hope you all enjoy this last part.

There was a strange feeling in the air when they arrived.

Lance could feel it as plainly as if it were static electricity crackling across his skin, raising the hair on his arms. He followed quietly next to Hunk, who was happily chatting away about nothing in particular as they walked through the Garrison hangar.

They had landed late in the evening, securing a last-minute spot for Hunk's ship thanks to Iverson's influence, which meant there wasn't a big crowd milling about. Lance was grateful for that. The atmosphere was tense enough without bumping against people as they walked.

“...think that's Keith's ship?” Hunk asked. “Oh, hey! There's your sister!”

Lance would have to be blind to not see Keith's ship. It was all sharp, sleek angles and crafted with black metals, just like every other Galra ship, and sharply contrasted against the gray and orange of the Galaxy Garrison.

Veronica was standing near the open ramp, waving to someone. She turned away with a smile on her face and froze in her tracks the moment she recognized them.

“Lance!”

He lifted his hand in greeting. “Hey.”

Veronica made her way over to them. “Is that the kind of greeting you give your _favorite_ sister? I haven't seen you in months! 'Hey', he says.”

Hunk stifled his laughter behind his hands.

Her gaze softened as she looked them over. “It's good to see you both. Do you have a place to stay while you're here? We're a little tight on space, but I'm sure we can figure something out.”

“We're just going to stay on the _Teuila_,” Hunk told her. “Our rooms are actually pretty nice and I think everyone will be more comfortable that way.”

Veronica nodded in understanding. “Keith and his crew said the same thing, but I figured it would be best to offer. What about you, Lance? You can come room with me while you're here.”

The offer was tempting, but Lance was going to take advantage of having a room all to himself while he was away from the family farm. It was nice to relax without anyone barging in at all hours of the day.

“As much as I love your couch, I think I'll pass this time,” Lance said.

“I'm here if you change your mind. So, where are you two off to? Not getting into trouble already, are you?” Veronica asked teasingly.

“We're going to go visit Pidge and her family. We made better time than I expected, so we want to surprise her,” Hunk said.

“That might be a little difficult, since she's out with Keith right now,” Veronica said.

Lance and Hunk stared at her for a moment and then exchange a confused look before turning their attention back to Veronica and asking, in unison: “What?”

“What do you mean 'out with Keith'?” Lance continued, throwing air quotes around the last three words. “Since when is that a thing?”

Veronica shrugged. She wasn't remotely unnerved by their surprise. “Acxa says he's been spending time with Pidge since they arrived here and her exact words to me this evening were: 'Keith's taking Pidge out for a drive again'.”

“Again?!” A strangled sound gurgled up from Lance's throat.

Hunk glanced at his friend with concern as he took a moment to organize his own thoughts. “Okay, so that's something new. Unexpected, but not that weird. They've always gotten along pretty well.”

“Yeah, but it's _Keith_ and _Pidge__!_ It's just... I dunno, it feels pretty weird to me. Since when have they been that close?” Lance asked, wracking his brain to try and think of anything. They worked together a lot as paladins, especially once Keith became their leader and she stepped forward to serve as the brain of the team even more than before, but that didn't explain how they were suddenly so close.

He frowned.

No, there were other things too. Things he brushed off because there was more important stuff to worry about.

But he was starting to over-analyze the past, which often led him to imagining things that hadn't really happened or reading too much into what he'd seen.

“Well, if Pidge is busy, we can stay on the ship for now and I'll send a message so she knows we're here. The plan was for all of us to get together tomorrow anyway,” Hunk said with an easy shrug. “Do you want to have a late meal with us, Veronica? Shay was making soup when we left. No cave bugs, I promise.”

Veronica made a face, but wisely didn't ask about the cave bugs. “I think I'll pass tonight, but I'll definitely take you up on that before you leave.”

Lance snapped out of his thoughts in time to say goodbye to Veronica. He and Hunk watched her as she walked away and then turned to make their way back to the _Teuila_.

“Are you really that weirded out by the thought of Pidge and Keith being a thing?” Hunk asked.

Lance made a frustrated noise. “I don't know. I mean, I'm not against it, I just didn't see it coming. He's always been the most protective of her, but I figured it was just because Pidge is the youngest of us. We were all watching out for her. Not that we needed to. She could probably still kick our butts.”

“I've rather not relive that,” Hunk said, shuddering at the memory of the Trial that Coran put them through. Being mind controlled by mushrooms was not his idea of a good time.

“Mostly I think I'm just annoyed she didn't say anything to us about it. Er, she didn't say anything to you, did she?” Lance asked.

Hunk shook his head. “The most she said about Keith was that he got in a few days ago. We've sent a few messages since then, but that was to coordinate the picnic and make sure the timing is right. Have you talked to her recently?”

Lance had not.

When _was_ the last time he talked to her? Last week? No, longer than that.

“I'm the worst friend,” Lance grumbled.

“You're not,” Hunk said firmly.

“I can't even remember the last time I called either of you to talk!”

“Everyone gets busy. It's _okay_, Lance. We all talked three weeks ago,” Hunk reminded him.

Lance scowled. “Only because you started up a group call. And it's always you or Pidge who does it. I just... I can't remember the last time I was the one to try and call you guys. Face it, Hunk. I'm a mess and a bad friend.”

Hunk sped up so he could stop in front of Lance and grip him by his shoulders. “You are my best friend, Lance McClain, and I'm not going to stand here and listen to you talk about yourself like this. We are going to go back to the _Teuila_ and eat delicious soup, and talk about all of the ways you are an amazing friend. Everyone falls into a slump sometimes. We're going to figure out how to get you out of yours.”

Lance's vision wavered as tears filled his eyes. He ducked his head to quickly wipe them away. “Y-yeah. Sounds good.”

Hunk moved to his side, taking his hands away so he could drape one arm around Lance's shoulders instead. “Good.”

* * *

Shiro couldn't remember the last time he felt so confused, especially not in the comfort of his own kitchen.

Curtis sat next to him at the table, his head propped up by one hand as watched Keith bustle around the counter nearest the oven, preparing something in a mixing bowl. There was already a chocolate cake in the oven, making the whole apartment smell nice.

What was truly bewildering, beyond the fact that Keith was baking, was that his brother was also humming as he did so. It was inaudible whenever the handmixer was running, but the moment it stopped Shiro could clearly hear him.

Shiro didn't know what to think. While it was great to see Keith look so happy, it also struck Shiro as terribly out of character.

“Taste,” Keith demanded, holding out a spoon to them.

Curtis moved first, swiping his finger through the frosting and sticking it in his mouth without preamble. Shiro followed suit a little more cautiously, and the taste of peanut butter exploded across his tongue.

“How is it?” Keith asked, sounding worried.

“It's good, but why are you making peanut butter icing?” Shiro asked.

Keith looked visibly relieved. “It's for Pidge. I wanted to make her something she likes, and I remembered that she likes peanut butter.” He shrugged and set aside the spoon and bowl, where it would wait until the cake was out of the oven and cooled.

“I didn't know you liked baking,” Shiro remarked.

“I was thinking about what Hunk always said about food being a way to bring people together, so I made one for the crew a while back. When everyone seemed to like it, I kept making them. Not all the time, but as a special treat,” Keith said.

“Are you taking it to the picnic lunch you guys are doing?” Curtis asked.

Shiro glanced at the clock and noticed Keith doing the same. They still had an hour before they had to leave to meet up with the others down in the courtyard, but was that enough time? How long did it take for a cake to cool?

His fingers itched to text Hunk for the answer.

“It'll have to wait. If the cake doesn't cool, the icing melts off. I, uh, learned that the hard way,” Keith said with a wince. “I'll finish it once we get back and give it to her later.”

He walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door, shuffling a few things around to make room for the mixing bowl.

Shiro watched him clean up while he contemplated the best way to broach a new topic; one that had bothered him since their dinner with the Holts.

Curtis suddenly cleared his throat. “So, have you put in your request for ship maintenance yet? You only have a few days left of your vacation.”

“Not yet. I still have two days before I really need to.” Keith didn't sound worried at all.

“Even if you wait that long, they still might reject your request for Pidge to be the one to do it,” Shiro reminded him. “We should come up with a back-up plan.”

“We could try and bribe whoever is approving requests that day,” Curtis suggested. He grinned at their incredulous expressions. “Yeah, okay. That's probably a bad idea, but every good brainstorming session has a few bad ideas!”

Keith shook his head. “The less you're both involved, the better. I don't want either of you to get in trouble for helping me. Besides, I have a plan.”

The timing went off and Keith turned his back to them so he could take the cake out of the oven.

No matter how much Shiro and Curtis tried to convince him to let them help, Keith wouldn't budge. Nor would he tell him anything about his plan. Not even a hint.

“You two should get going soon if you don't want to be late,” Curtis said as the clock ticked over to twelve-thirty.

“You're not coming with us?” Keith asked, sounding surprised.

Curtis smiled at him. “Maybe I'll join you guys next time. I figured the five of you deserved some time to catch up and reminisce without me there as an awkward sixth wheel. I have a few things I need to get done anyway.”

“You wouldn't be a sixth wheel,” Shiro tried to tell him, but Curtis shook his head.

“I would be. Now go and have fun.”

Shiro sighed at the fact that he had two stubborn men in his life (completely ignoring his own brand of Pure Stubborn, of course) and gave up on convincing anyone of anything for the rest of the day.

He and Keith left, heading straight for the courtyard, which had been turned into an extension of the cafeteria with new tables and benches. Young trees were planted and mulched nicely, chosen for their ability to withstand the heat so long as they were watered on a regular basis.

Hunk was busy setting up at a large, round table when they arrived. He had a blue-and-white checkered tablecloth covering the top and a classic picnic basket that was overflowing with food, which he was staring to unload and arrange in the center.

He looked up at their approach. “Shiro! Keith!” He hurried around the table to properly greet each of them with a full body bear hug. “It's been so long!”

“It's good to see you too, Hunk,” Shiro said fondly.

Hunk let go of them and gestured for them to sit as he explained how Lance had gotten sidetracked on his way down, and once he finished talking to Veronica he would join them with the rest of the food.

“Curtis didn't want to come?” Hunk asked as they made themselves comfortable.

Shiro shook his head. “We invited him, but he declined this time. He did say that he'd like to before you have to go.”

Hunk accepted that and began talking about what he'd brought for them to eat, referencing a variety of planets that he'd visited in the past few weeks and his issues with allergic reactions to some of the food he'd accepted along the way. His gaze drifted to Keith now and then, as though he was searching for something and was trying not to make it obvious.

It wasn't long before Lance and Pidge hurried to the table, having met up at some point on their way outside. Lance passed a second basket to Hunk so he could finish setting up, while Pidge slid into the empty space on Keith's left and smiled up at him.

Shiro felt a moment of vindication as Lance raised an eyebrow at their closeness and Hunk fumbled with one of the plates. He _wasn't_ just imagining things.

Lunch progressed without any of them mentioning it, although Lance looked as though he had to restrain himself from speaking each time one of them leaned in to talk to the other or Keith smiled at Pidge. Hunk did several double takes, but was subtle about it.

Not that Pidge or Keith noticed any of it.

The hours flew by, and it was only when Shiro's phone buzzed with a message that he realized how much time had passed. He glanced it over, wondering if he should be worried about Iverson's request for a meeting with him and Keith.

He wordlessly passed his phone to Keith and made excuses for them to leave, which also paved the way for Hunk to jump in and ask to see what Pidge was working on.

“I could use your advice on a few things,” Pidge mused, looking between Hunk and Lance. “Why don't you both come over? Mom made juniberry pie the other night and she'd love for you two to try a piece.”

And with that, the group of five cleaned up their mess and then split up.

* * *

“Okay, strange question, but _why_ do you have a camera?” Lance asked, pointing to the very obvious device up on a wall near the bedroom door.

They arrived at the Holt residence nearly a half hour prior, and after they each got a slice of Colleen's delicious pie, retreated to Pidge's room. While she and Hunk immediately started talking about a camouflage device for Coran, Lance spent some time playing with the nebuloids and looking around.

“It's for security. Keith's been helping me with it,” Pidge told them.

Hunk frowned. “Are you worried that someone might break in?”

“Someone already _has_.”

Hunk and Lance stared at her, shocked.

“But who? How?” Lance asked.

“I don't know. That's why I have the camera set up. The door is the only way in or out, except for the vents, but even I can't fit through that,” Pidge said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her friends only had more questions.

What did they take? Was anything taken?

Did they break in by hacking the locks or did they have the code?

How had no one else seen them? Weren't there cameras in the halls too, especially near Commander quarters?

Did Pidge suspect sabotage of some kind?

Pidge waited until they were calm enough for her to speak without getting interrupted. “No one's taken anything. Instead, whoever it is has been leaving me gifts. Hair pins first, then Balmera crystals-” (Hunk whistled appreciatively.) “-and most recently, a glass cosmolabe.”

Lance frowned. “Someone's breaking into your room to leave you presents? Bu why? And what does Keith think about some stranger giving you presents?”

“He's just as confused about it as I am, but we're sure the camera will work correctly this time,” Pidge said confidently. Ashe raised an eyebrow as Hunk and Lance exchanged significant looks. “What?”

“Keith isn't upset that some other guy is giving you stuff?” Lance tried again, phrasing his question differently.

Pidge cocked her head to the side. “We don't know it's a guy, and why would he be upset by that?”

“I'd be pretty mad if some guy was giving _my _ girlfriend gifts,” Hunk said, going for the blunter approach.

Pidge stared at him and said nothing as her brain tried to compute what outlandish thing he was suggesting. “You – wait, what?” she asked, shaking her head. “What gave you the idea that Keith and I are dating?”

“Veronica told us when we got in last night. We were going to come by and see you, but she said you and Keith were going out!” Lance exclaimed, throwing up his hands.

“Yeah, going out, as in leaving Garrison grounds!” Pidge shot back.

Hunk groaned and buried his head in his hands, looking mortified. “Oh no. Pidge, I'm so sorry. We completely misunderstood.”

Pidge looked over at him. “You haven't told anyone else about this, have you?”

“No!” Hunk said quickly. “I don't even know if Veronica thinks that. Her wording was a bit ambiguous...”

Lance, however, was not so easily convinced. “Are you sure there's nothing going on between you? Since when does Keith willingly spend time with someone who isn't Shiro? _And!_” He held up one finger as though he had an especially important point to make. “You two looked really cozy over lunch. I even saw him smile at you!”

“Oh no. Keith smiled. It must be the end of the world,” Pidge said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She looked to Hunk for help, only to find him deep in thought and not at all exasperated by Lance.

“You really don't know who your gifts are from? There's no name?” he asked.

Pidge shook her head. “I really don't know. The only thing written on them is my name. Hang on, I still have the tags.” She turned to her desk and shuffled through a few things before she found them and handed them to Hunk.

He raised an eyebrow when he saw the handwriting. When Lance sidled over for a closer look, he turned the tags so he could see them as well.

“When did you get the first one?” Hunk asked.

“Five days ago?” Pidge responded, after taking a moment to think it over.

“And that was the hair pins? What about the second one? When did you get the Balmera crystals?” Hunk continued his round of questioning, which Pidge gladly answered in the hope it would lead her to the truth.

“The hair pins were first, and the crystals I got three days ago. The cosmolabe was the day after that, when I got back from dinner at Shiro's,” she said.

“Three times and no one saw anyone come in here?” Lance asked, sounding concerned. “Is it luck, or do you think someone's watching to make sure no one is here?”

Put like that, Pidge couldn't stop a shiver from running down her spine. “But who would go through all of that trouble just to give me a gift?”

“A creep,” Lance stated bluntly.

“No, I don't think so,” Hunk disagreed with a shake of his head. “When did Keith get here?”

Pidge shrugged, not sure what that had to do with the situation at hand. “I don't know. Four days ago? Maybe five, if he got in late in the night, but I didn't tell him what was going on until we came back to find the second gift on my desk.”

“And he sounded concerned?”

“Of course he did! He was the one who suggested the camera to watch the door,” Pidge said.

“_Just_ the door? Not the whole room?” Hunk asked.

Pidge gave Hunk a frustrated look. “It's the only way in or out, remember? Unless you're suggesting that there's someone at the Garrison who can walk through solid walls.”

“Of course not, that's ridiculous,” Hunk said. “What I am suggesting, is that there is only one person who we know who has a cosmic wolf capable of teleporting into locked rooms.”

The room went so quiet that Pidge thought she could hear the ticking of the wall clock hanging in the kitchen. It was broken by Lance making a confused sound.

“I, uh, may have theory?” Hunk offered, sounding unsure.

“Okay, do you want to share this insane theory of yours, or am I going to have to start guessing?” Pidge asked irritably. She had a suspicion that she knew what he was about to suggest, and hoped that he would understand how crazy he sounded once he started to talk about it.

Hunk took a deep breath. “I don't know a lot about it, but I've picked up a few things from Sal and the other Galra I've spoken to. You'll want to talk to someone else to get all of the details.”

“Hunk.”

“Galra courtship,” he blurted out. “It's, um, oh man, I'm going to mess this up. So there's this whole gift-giving phase, where the interested party finds things they think you'll like and leaves them for you to find. That's what's happening to you right now, but on a faster schedule. Like the person leaving them doesn't have much time and wants to prove themselves while they're still here. And you've accepted each of them, which is basically giving them permission to continue. Normally, the next step is openly asking for a date – well, the Galra have a different word for it, but that's basically what it is. The thing is, I don't think he fully knows what he's doing and is just going by instinct.”

Pidge stared at Hunk.

That was... a lot.

Galra apparently had courtship rituals, which Hunk knew vague details about, and all of it could explain what was happening to her. Still, she couldn't believe it. What Hunk was suggesting was crazy! That was, if she was reading into the situation correctly.

Pidge swallowed. She needed to ask, just to be sure.

“So who is it?”

* * *

Pidge didn't sleep well that night, as Hunk's surprisingly assertive words ran racetracks through her brain. If he and Lance hadn't made such good points, she would have gone another few days before she put two-and-two together. After all, Keith only had a day left before he took off again and it would become glaringly obvious when she stopped receiving gifts at the same time.

Part of her still didn't believe that Keith was trying to court _her_, of all people. He turned heads wherever he went and could pick anyone he wanted, but only had eyes for her. According to Hunk and Lance, at least, who mentioned watching their interactions throughout lunch.

Which definitely wasn't creepy.

At all.

Somewhere in her disbelief, she felt flattered, and that was why she knew she needed to get to the bottom of things.

Hunk suggested that she ask a Galra for more details, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She had the perfect person in mind. A half-Galra like Keith, who traveled alongside of him bringing aid to war-torn planets, and would be familiar with what he was like.

It wasn't an easy task to sneak unnoticed into the hangar, especially when so many people knew her face and were aware that it was an area restricted to her. She narrowly avoided James Griffin and Ina Leifsdottir, and though she was sure the blonde saw her, Leifsdottir didn't say a word. (Pidge would have to find a way to thank her once she didn't have so much on her mind.)

That was her only close call, and it didn't take long before she was close enough to Keith's ship to see everyone who was coming or going. She just needed to wait for someone recognizable that she could talk to – preferably Axca, over Zethrid or Ezor. Those two still sent a chill down her spine.

Luckily, Acxa was the first one she saw. She was walking back to the ship with Veronica, her posture more relaxed than Pidge had ever seen.

She stepped out of hiding once they got close.

“Pidge?” Veronica questioned. “How did you get down here?”

“I need to talk to Acxa about something in private. You can come too,” Pidge added in hurriedly. The whole reason Hunk and Lance thought she was dating Keith was because of what Veronica said, so she figured she may as well correct any assumptions the woman might have.

Acxa's expression didn't change much as she invited them both into the ship. Pidge looked around in interest as she followed behind her to an empty room where they could talk in peace and privacy. There were a few comfortable chairs and small tables, marking the space as a relaxation room of some kind.

“I want to ask you about Galra courtship,” Pidge said the moment the door was firmly shut behind them.

If Acxa was surprised, she didn't show it. “I had wondered when Keith would finally admit he was the one leaving you gifts, but why isn't he the one explaining this to you?”

“Because he _hasn't_ told me,” Pidge replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “Hunk and Lance came to the conclusion that we're already dating, and it wasn't until they asked me what Keith thought about a stranger giving me gifts that Hunk started to put things together.”

All at once, Acxa's words hit her.

It was Keith.

Keith liked her and he was the one leaving her presents.

Hearing it as a guess from Hunk was one thing, but from someone who knew it for certain? A warm, fluttery feeling filled her chest as the full weight of it overcame her.

Acxa took pity on her and helped her sit down before slowly explaining the basics of Galra courtship. Veronica sat on her other side, offering her silent support and voicing additional questions or comments to help the younger girl better understand.

The moment Acxa mentioned there were five steps, Pidge fumbled to get out her phone and take notes. She knew it would be useful to look at later, once her shock faded and she could think more clearly.

Pidge thanked both of them for their help before sneaking her way out of the hangar. Once she was back in more familiar halls, she took the time to review her notes.

_Galra Courtship_

_A five-step process, based on common instinct across all Galra types._

_Step 1 – Gifting_

_The first gift is always given in secret. It's to test the waters and find out if the recipient is interested in any courtship. If accepted, the second gift should bear the givers name, so the recipient can decide from there if they are still interested. If gift #2 is accepted, the process continues, with both sides exchanging gifts._

_This is to show understanding by both parties; gifts are items the other will find useful or enjoyable. _

_Step 2 – Dating_

_Similar to human dating, it involves excursions or sharing activities. This step often crosses over with gifting, though by this point it slows down significantly. The purpose of this step is to bond._

_Step 3 - Physical Compatability_

_Step 4 – Engagement_

_Informing family and friends of the intent to stay together._

_Step 5 – Mateship_

_The Galra equivalent of marriage._

_*Acxa notes that half-Galra have more muddled instinct and may not follow the steps exactly. It's all dependant on how dominant the non-Galra half is. In Keith's case, his human genes largely overrule his Galra half._

It really wasn't all that complicated. Even step one, which needed the most detail to explain, was simple when it came down to it and wasn't so different from human customs.

Pidge's biggest headache came from trying to decide what it was that she wanted.

She returned to her family's quarters to find it as empty as ever, which was a relief. She was in no mood to talk, not even to Matt, who often offered the best insight when she was feeling confused.

No, all she needed was a good project to take her mind off of things. Something easy. Something she could do in her sleep. Something she kept set aside for moments just like those, when she needed a distraction but couldn't put her full focus on one thing.

There only thing in her way was a brand new package wrapped in brown paper, sitting on her desk. She stopped when she saw it and knew that she had two choices. She could open it and see what it was, or she could hunt down Keith and return it, unopened.

The answer to that would be only be solved once she found an answer to a bigger question: How did she feel about Keith?

* * *

It was his last full day of vacation and Keith was feeling nervous. All of his planning, his meetings with Iverson, and video calls with Kolivan and Krolia would be for nothing if he couldn't find the courage to talk to Pidge.

He should have done it days ago. The moment she came to him, worried about someone breaking into her room, he should have confessed that it was him. Well, to be specific, it was Kosmo helping him by delivering the gifts and he hadn't actually stepped foot into her room until the day she invited him inside.

It started when Shiro mentioned in passing that Pidge was letting her hair grow out. Keith remembered her frustration with it when it was still short and how it sometimes obscured her vision while she was working, so he found some hair pins on his travels.

From there, it snowballed.

Every time he found something interesting, he thought of her. There was so much he had to stop himself from getting, and others he knew he couldn't pass up. The Balmera crystals he gathered during their stopovers on three different Balmera, checking in on the civilians there and making sure Restoration was going well. The cosmolabe was a unique find at a Bantherian swap market, where he traded old intel on a ship graveyard to a pair of scavengers.

As for the cake, it was meant to be an apology. He knew of her love of things flavored like peanut butter and thought it would be the best way to soothe her wrath once he revealed the truth, except he once again forgot to sign his name to it.

Keith had been puzzled by his own behavior for weeks leading up to their return to Earth, right up until Acxa sat him down and said: “Zethrid and Ezor have a bet on how long it will take you to realize you want to court Pidge.”

Denial was his first response.

Pidge was his friend, nothing more!

But the more Acxa explained, the more he started to see that she was right.

Somewhere along the way, he fell for Pidge. For her genius and wit. For her fiery spirit and fearless nature. For her compassion.

What began as a bond between two people searching for the truth, blossomed into a shared determination to protect those they loved, and then bloomed into something that was so much more. A genuine friendship, at least at first, until his feelings changed.

Keith stared at his reflection in the mirror. He knew Pidge didn't place strong value in appearance, but he wanted to make an effort to look nice for her. Maybe he could do something different with his hair?

Kosmo poofed into the room and padded over to him, pressing something against his hand.

Keith looked down at him. “What's this, buddy?”

The space-wolf let go of it easily enough and sat down at his feet, waiting.

Keith chuckled and took a good look at the box. His heart nearly stopped. It was a slender box, just the right size for Kosmo to carry in his mouth, and covered in brown paper. On the very top was a tag bearing his name in red ink.

“Pidge knows?” he breathed out, looking questioningly at Kosmo, who quietly woofed.

Pidge knew.

Keith backed up to his bed and sat down. With trembling hands, he pulled the paper away and lifted the lid, revealing a brand new tablet. The casing was black with faint red and purple veins running through it in a marbling pattern. Where he would have expected a brand logo of some kind was instead the trademark emblem of Voltron – a stylized 'V' that he would recognize anywhere.

There was a note beneath it.

_For Keith,_

_This is a prototype of my own design and is powered by a pair of Balmera crystals that are capable of regenerating energy. It should never run out of power. It is also pre-programmed with the call numbers for myself, Shiro, Hunk, Lance, and Coran, so you always have a way to reach one of us. I hope you find it useful._

_Katie Holt_

“She signed it with her real name,” he told Kosmo, who did not reply.

Before Keith could start to wonder what it meant, Kosmo walked over, raised one paw onto Keith's leg, and teleported them away. It was only when he heard a shocked gasp that he realized where he was.

“Kosmo!” Pidge's voice echoed alongside his own.

“I'm so sorry, Pidge,” Keith hastily apologized. “I don't know why he brought me here.”

“No, that's my fault. I asked him to, I just wasn't expecting you so soon.” Pidge hopped down from her stepladder with the security camera in her hands.

Keith winced when he saw it. “Pidge, I--”

“Should have told me from the beginning? Yeah, probably,” she cut him off flippantly. “Honestly, I'm too relieved that it was you all along to be really mad right now, but we will talk about it later. I think there's a lot we need to talk about.”

Pidge set the camera down on one of her junk piles and two of the nebuloids crawled out to investigate the new addition. She crossed the room and sat down on her bed next to him. “So, Galra have courtship instincts? I guess that's the least weird thing I've learned about alien biology.”

“Did Acxa tell you?” Keith asked, wondering how the two of them ended up talking. Had Acxa specifically sought her out?

“Hunk figured it out when I was telling him and Lance what was going on. Funnily enough, they thought we were already dating and were very concerned about why you were okay with a stranger leaving me gifts,” Pidge told him. “After that, I went to talk to Acxa so I could clarify a few things. She was very, um, informative.”

Keith remembered his own talk with her and how she took a special delight in making him turn as red as possible with her in-depth description of the third step.

“I guess the question is, how will we proceed? I mean, you leave tomorrow, don't you? Can't promote universal peace and make amends for what the Galra have done from here on Earth,” Pidge said.

Keith sat up a little straighter.

That was it. The best chance he had, set up by sheer coincidence by Pidge herself.

He took a deep breath. “Pidge, I was wondering if you'd like to come with us.”

Pidge went very still, and here eyes widened in surprise. “You want me to go with you?”

“I've been thinking about it for a while. Longer than just this week, but after hearing about everything that's going on, I thought now would be the best time to ask.” Keith had rehearsed what he wanted to say, but in the moment he forgot all of it. His best bet was the keep going without interruption, so he wouldn't lose his train of thought.

“We need a technology expert on board and there's no one I'd trust more than you. This isn't just about courting you. We can figure something out if you want to stay here. I'm asking because there's no one else I'd rather have by my side. And-” (And here was the important part.) “-you would be working for the Blade of Marmora in an official capacity. If you miss Earth too much, this opens the door for you to be hired on as a consultant for that project Mr. Holt is working on.”

Pidge was quiet for a moment longer. “You've really thought this through.”

“I have. I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner. I should have,” Keith said.

There was so much more he wanted to say. An explanation for why it took so long. Another apology for not doing the courtship steps correctly. But words have never been his strong suit and they were starting to fail him after all of the talking he'd done.

“You know... I've really missed being out there among the stars.”

Pidge's voice was so soft that Keith nearly missed what she was saying. He looked at her, staying quiet so she could decide without pressure from him.

“I know it sounds like a hasty decision, but I do want to go with you. I miss it out there. The freedom. The experiences. You.” She paused, raising her eyes to meet his. “I've missed you. Hanging out with you this week has been the most fun I've had in ages. And besides, what better way for you to show me how the cosmolabe works? The sounds like a nice fourth date to me.”

Keith could hardly believe it. Was Pidge... flirting?

“Are you counting our morning run as a date?” he asked.

“It was a shared activity, wasn't it? Not my favorite date, by the way,” Pidge joked.

Keith laughed and a smile remained on his face for long afterwards. “I think our fourth date will be me whisking you away to the stars. And yes, we can use the cosmolabe. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out on your own.”

“I probably could, but you did promise _and_ I've been distracted,” Pidge said. She looked around her room, sobering up slightly, though there was still a pleased smile on her face. “I guess I have some packing to do.”

“Do you want any help?”

Pidge shook her head. “It's going to be a lot of me picking things up and asking myself 'do I really need this?' and coming back later to ask the same thing again. You don't want to be around for that.” She made a face. “I have to tell my family too. If you don't hear from me, assume that mom has made good on her threat to ground me until I'm thirty. I can't _not_ tell them though. Mom would steal a ship and hunt me down if I do that again.”

Keith didn't doubt it. All of her fiery spirit didn't come from Sam Holt, that much was certain.

“When you're ready, I'll send Kosmo to get your things. You know how to reach me,” he said, holding up his new tablet.

Pidge stood as well and it was clear from the look in her eyes that she was already busy calculating how much she needed to bring with her.

The first time they left Earth, all she had was the clothes on her back and her laptop. Keith couldn't wait to see what she could accomplish with proper gear.

Feeling daring, he bent down and brushed a kiss against Pidge's forehead. Her pretty blush remained imprinted in his head for the rest of the day, long after Kosmo teleported him back to his room on the ship.

Soon they would be back among the stars, where they belonged.

Keith couldn't wait.


End file.
